Youth Gambling Emergency: Juvenile Offender Arrests Soar 24-Fold in Three Years

Despite More Preventive Education Sessions, Infrastructure Shrinks
Min Hyungbae: "Comprehensive System Review and Urgent, Effective Measures Needed"

Min Hyungbae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

While youth gambling crimes are surging at an explosive rate, concerns have been raised that the national infrastructure for preventive education is actually shrinking.

According to an analysis by Min Hyungbae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gwangsan-eul in Gwangju, based on data submitted by the National Police Agency on September 15, the number of juvenile offenders aged 10 to 13 apprehended for gambling crimes soared from 3 in 2021 to 72 in 2024-a staggering 24-fold increase in just three years. During the same period, the number of adolescent offenders aged 14 to 18 also rose from 63 to 559, an increase of about nine times, and last year, there were even cases where suspects were detained after being referred to the prosecution.

The problem is that gambling crimes persist despite a significant expansion of preventive education. According to the Korea Center on Gambling Problems, the number of teenagers receiving preventive education grew nearly fourfold, from 520,000 in 2021 to over 2 million in 2024. However, the budget for preventive public awareness projects has decreased by 10.4% compared to three years ago.

The number of staff at the institution also increased to 103 in 2022 but then dropped again to 97 in 2024. This has led to criticism that only formal preventive education has increased, while practical responses have not kept pace.

Min Hyungbae stressed, "Youth gambling is now a serious social crisis that can no longer be ignored," adding, "We need to urgently conduct a comprehensive review of the entire system, from preventive education to access restrictions, and quickly establish effective countermeasures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.